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China’s 3-nm chip progress; how much sex couples should have: 5 weekend reads you missed
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China’s 3-nm chip progress; how much sex couples should have: 5 weekend reads you missed

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chinese researchers plot path to 3-nm chips using older lithography tools 2. Trump claims US deal for ‘control’ of Greenland security against ‘adversaries’ 3. Trump, Melania to host Xi and Peng Liy...

China tests first practical submarine solar power plant at 10-metre depth in the open sea
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China tests first practical submarine solar power plant at 10-metre depth in the open sea

In a breakthrough that could power the future of underwater operations, Chinese scientists have built and tested the world’s first submarine solar farm, successfully operating a perovskite-based photovoltaic system at a depth of 10 metres (33 feet) in the open sea. The submerged array charged batteries and powered a LED panel, proving that solar energy can be harvested even in the dim, blue-green ...

China tests first practical submarine solar power plant at 10 metres depth in the open sea
SCMP •

China tests first practical submarine solar power plant at 10 metres depth in the open sea

In a breakthrough that could power the future of underwater operations, Chinese scientists have built and tested the world’s first submarine solar farm, successfully operating a perovskite-based photovoltaic system at a depth of 10 metres (33 feet) in the open sea. The submerged array charged batteries and powered a LED panel, proving that solar energy can be harvested even in the dim, blue-green ...

Suspected DMZ landmine blast injures 3 South Korean soldiers
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Suspected DMZ landmine blast injures 3 South Korean soldiers

Three South Korean military officers were injured in an explosion during an operation near the heavily mined border with North Korea, Seoul’s military said Monday. The incident occurred south of the military demarcation line inside the demilitarised zone (DMZ), one of the world’s most heavily fortified and mined frontiers. Two of the injured officers were evacuated by helicopter, while a third was...

Suspected landmine blast injures South Korean soldiers in DMZ

Suspected landmine blast injures South Korean soldiers in DMZ

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Three people, including South Korean soldiers, were injured in a suspected mine blast inside the demilitarised zone (DMZ), South Korea’s Yonhap News TV reported on Monday. The DMZ, which has divided the peninsula since the 1950-53 Korean war ended with an armistice, is among the most heavily mined places in the world. “A soldier was seriously injured during an operation in the DMZ involving the 25...

Singapore nets US$862,000 from first auction in money laundering case

Singapore nets US$862,000 from first auction in money laundering case

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A fierce 30-minute bidding war for a rare Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama pumpkin bag – seized in Singapore’s S$3 billion (US$2.35 billion) money laundering case – sent its final price soaring on Sunday night. The limited-edition yellow monogram leather piece, which was a collaboration between the luxury fashion house and the Japanese artist who recently died at 97, eventually went under the hammer f...

Japan asks for US$43 million to weed out cherry tree-devouring longhorn beetle

Japan asks for US$43 million to weed out cherry tree-devouring longhorn beetle

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Japan’s Environment Ministry is stepping up measures against longhorn beetles that are devouring cherry trees, with a request for 6.7 billion yen (US$43 million) to counter invasive species in the next financial year’s initial budget. According to the ministry, the requested amount, which is an increase of 11 times the initial budget of 600 million yen for the 2026 financial year, will be used to ...

Bite-mark, DNA tests used to identify dogs after woman dies in suspected attack

Bite-mark, DNA tests used to identify dogs after woman dies in suspected attack

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Hong Kong’s environment chief has vowed to review its policies on handling stray dogs after a cyclist was killed in a suspected canine attack in Yuen Long, while an insider has said that bite-mark analyses and DNA tests are being conducted to confirm whether and which of three canines captured by authorities were involved in the deadly incident. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan m...

Hong Kong to review stray dog handling policies after woman dies in suspected attack

Hong Kong to review stray dog handling policies after woman dies in suspected attack

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Hong Kong’s environment chief has vowed to review stray dog handling policies following a cyclist’s death in a suspected canine attack in Yuen Long, months after shelters warned of pets being abandoned in the New Territories amid land resumption operations. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan made the promise on Monday morning, hours after the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation...

Hong Kong to review stray dog handling policies after woman dies in possible attack

Hong Kong to review stray dog handling policies after woman dies in possible attack

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Hong Kong’s environment chief has vowed to review stray dog handling policies following a cyclist’s death in a suspected canine attack in Yuen Long, months after shelters warned of pets being abandoned in the New Territories amid land resumption operations. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan made the promise on Monday morning, hours after the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation...

3 stray mongrels captured after cyclist dies in suspected dog attack

3 stray mongrels captured after cyclist dies in suspected dog attack

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Hong Kong authorities have captured three stray mongrels near a road in Yuen Long after a female cyclist was suspected of having died in a fatal dog attack in the area. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said on Monday that it had worked alongside police to capture three stray dogs near Pok Wai South Road on Sunday evening. But the AFCD sidestepped a question on whether ...

Philippines tribe vows to stand ground against US-led Pax Silica: ‘listen to us’

Philippines tribe vows to stand ground against US-led Pax Silica: ‘listen to us’

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Tribal leader Petronila Munoz walked across the sweeping Philippine grasslands she has called home for generations, uncertain about its future, as a sprawling tech hub for a US-led initiative takes shape. With little information and no prior consultation, the indigenous chieftain said her Aeta Hungey tribe was uncertain how much of their land could be affected or what would become of the livelihoo...

Philippine tribe vows to stand ground against US-led Pax Silica: ‘listen to us’

Philippine tribe vows to stand ground against US-led Pax Silica: ‘listen to us’

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Tribal leader Petronila Munoz walked across the sweeping Philippine grasslands she has called home for generations, uncertain about its future, as a sprawling tech hub for a US-led initiative takes shape. With little information and no prior consultation, the indigenous chieftain said her Aeta Hungey tribe was uncertain how much of their land could be affected or what would become of the livelihoo...

Chinese woman in her 70s wakes up in coffin before dying for good 2 days later

Chinese woman in her 70s wakes up in coffin before dying for good 2 days later

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A woman in her 70s in northern China briefly exhibited signs of life after being placed in a coffin, but ultimately died two days later. The woman, from Hebei province, had been suffering from cerebral thrombosis for decades and was also battling cancer, according to reports from mainland sources. After doctors concluded that her cancer was no longer treatable, her family brought her home for end-...

As the US weighs restrictions on cloud computing, how will China’s AI sector adapt?

As the US weighs restrictions on cloud computing, how will China’s AI sector adapt?

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When Chinese artificial intelligence developers want to train their next-generation frontier models, they all face the same daunting wall: they cannot legally buy the world’s most powerful AI chips. However, the country’s tech giants and start-ups have still managed to quietly keep pace with global rivals. Their secret is an elusive workaround: moving heavy training workloads across borders throug...

Mainland China’s stock exchanges mount charm offensive amid Hong Kong IPO boom

Mainland China’s stock exchanges mount charm offensive amid Hong Kong IPO boom

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Mainland China’s stock exchanges have stepped up lobbying of companies and regulators to prioritise domestic listings after Hong Kong stole their thunder in fundraising activities in recent years, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The domestic exchanges recently met representatives of some mainland companies planning Hong Kong listings, especially first-time issuers and firms in s...

South Korea steps up to plug Europe’s jet fuel deficit

South Korea steps up to plug Europe’s jet fuel deficit

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Europe faces a fourth-quarter jet fuel deficit, even as it turns to far-flung suppliers including South Korea, which is set to boost its jet exports to Europe to a four-year high in September, according to analysts and shipping data. The continent has been importing more jet fuel from nations including Nigeria, the United States and Canada since the outbreak of the Iran war over half a year ago, w...

Chinese AI chipmaker Hygon plots expansion from data centres to robotics

Chinese AI chipmaker Hygon plots expansion from data centres to robotics

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Chinese chipmaker Hygon Information Technology is set to release a new chip targeting physical-world applications including robotics, expanding from its current focus on data centres, according to Chinese media reports and company information. The product launch, slated for Tuesday, marks Hygon’s move into a new chip category powering machines that interact directly with their environments, as phy...

Nearly 50% rise in drug seizures by Hong Kong customs in first half of year

Nearly 50% rise in drug seizures by Hong Kong customs in first half of year

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Hong Kong customs recorded a nearly 50 per cent year-on-year rise in drug seizures during the first half of 2026, driven by notable increases in smuggling activities via air and sea routes. The Customs and Excise Department confiscated 5,704kg (12,575lbs) of illegal narcotics in the first half, a 49 per cent increase year on year, according to figures seen by the South China Morning Post. Nearly t...

Upgraded but underperforming: Philippines’ growth lags behind

Upgraded but underperforming: Philippines’ growth lags behind

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The Philippines’ rise to upper-middle-income status was supposed to mark a new phase for one of Southeast Asia’s most closely watched emerging economies. Instead, analysts say the milestone has done little to shield the country from short-term pressures weighing on growth: sluggish public spending, delayed infrastructure, high living costs and the fallout from investigations into alleged irregular...

Chinese province urges firms to seize the day as Xi-Trump meeting provides trade stability

Chinese province urges firms to seize the day as Xi-Trump meeting provides trade stability

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As final preparations are being made for President Xi Jinping’s trip to Washington this month, one export-oriented Chinese province has urged businesses to “grasp the window” of relative stability in China-US ties to boost shipments. The hope among regional officials for more trade lays bare the dependence some key Chinese localities still have on America despite diversification and decoupling. Ma...

18 suspects in 2021 Haiti president’s killing sent to US for trial

18 suspects in 2021 Haiti president’s killing sent to US for trial

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Eighteen suspects in the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise have been transported to Florida to stand trial, US officials said Sunday. Moise, 53, was gunned down on July 7, 2021, at his private residence by a hired group of about 20 military-trained Colombian mercenaries. His security detail did not intervene to protect him. “Today’s multi-location and international arrests unde...

US extradites 18 suspects in 2021 killing of Haitian president

US extradites 18 suspects in 2021 killing of Haitian president

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Eighteen suspects in the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise have been taken to Florida to stand trial, US officials said on Sunday. Moise, 53, was shot dead on July 7, 2021 at his private home by a hired group of about 20 military-trained Colombian mercenaries. His security detail did not intervene to protect him. “Today’s multi-location and international arrests underscore the ...

ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Texas

ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Texas

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An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, city officials said, adding that the man was in serious but stable condition. The man was shot in the torso and taken to a local hospital, officials told reporters at a press conference. The ICE agent shot him during a brief pursuit on foot shortly before 1pm, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis sai...

ICE agent shoots and wounds man during pursuit in Texas

ICE agent shoots and wounds man during pursuit in Texas

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An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, city officials said, adding that the man was in serious but stable condition. The man was shot in the torso and taken to a local hospital, officials told reporters at a press conference. The ICE agent shot him during a brief pursuit on foot shortly before 1pm, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis sai...

ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Texas, sparking protest

ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Texas, sparking protest

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An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, city officials said, adding that the man was in serious but stable condition. The man was shot in the torso and taken to a local hospital, officials told reporters ‌at a press conference. The ICE agent shot him during a brief pursuit on foot shortly before 1pm local time, Austin Police Chief Li...

ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Austin, Texas, officials say

ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Austin, Texas, officials say

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A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a man on Sunday afternoon in Austin, Texas, local authorities said, and anti-ICE protesters quickly gathered at the scene. The unidentified man was in a serious but stable condition at a hospital after being shot once in the torso on the capital city’s north side, Austin officials said at a news conference. The Department of H...

Barristers dismiss calls for solicitors to gain senior counsel status in Hong Kong

Barristers dismiss calls for solicitors to gain senior counsel status in Hong Kong

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The professional body for Hong Kong barristers has dismissed as “premature and largely academic” calls by solicitors for legal changes so fellow lawyers can gain recognition as senior counsel and rights to represent clients in higher-level courts. The Law Society, the governing body for the city’s solicitors, is calling for the higher status for its members as lawmakers scrutinise the latest round...

For China’s hi-tech IPOs, it’s Hong Kong vs the mainland – but how much does it matter?

For China’s hi-tech IPOs, it’s Hong Kong vs the mainland – but how much does it matter?

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Competition between mainland China and Hong Kong for hi-tech initial public offerings presents emerging technology firms with a dual-track strategic choice rather than a zero-sum battle, according to an executive at a national cross-border innovation platform. “There is naturally a degree of competition,” Lu Peng, general manager of Beijing-based Zhongguancun International, said in an interview on...